1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a punch press for punching sheet-like workpieces such as sheet metals and, more particularly, to a punch press which is provided with plurality of punching tools and a workpiece feeding and positioning means.
2. Description of the Prior Art
There is a type of punch press which is provided with a plurality of upper and lower punching tools and a workpiece feeding and positioning means having a plurality of clamping means. The arrangement is such that the clamping means of the workpiece feeding and positioning means will grip a workpiece to be punched and bring the same onto a desired lower punching tool for a punching operation.
In such a punch press, it is inconvenient that the clamping means of the workpiece feeding and positioning means, when feeding a workpiece to be punched onto a desired lower punching tool, will often interfere with other lower punching tools than the desired one by which the workpiece is to be punched. If the clamping means of the workpiece feeding and positioning means should interfere with the lower punching tools, of course both the clamping means and the lower punching tools will be hurt and broken. Therefore, in order to avoid such interference with the lower punching tools, it is necessary that the clamping means of the workpiece feeding and positioning means should clamp portions of the workpiece which are far away from each other by a comparatively big distance. However, it is very inconvenient to clamp the workpiece in such a manner in that a large area of the workpiece between the portions clamped by the clamping means of the workpiece feeding and positioning means could not be punched as a so-called dead zone.